Electric marcel machine



June 22, 1937.

B. ENGELE ELECTRIC MARCEL MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1956 yf I 37 ATTORN EY Patented .inne 22, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to electric Marcel machines and has for an object to provide a machine of this character having novel curling rods so shaped as to present fingers upon its sides in staggered relation, the upper and lower ngers on one side of the curling rod being bent to form hooks whereby the hair may be wound upon the curling rod and held in place by the hooks while the housing clamp is being applied.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel housing clamp which is lined with felt or other suitable material to retain the heat while the curl is being set on the heated curling rod.

A :further object is to provide a novel curling rod and heatei` having a separable electrical connector for detachably connecting the device to the current conducting socket which is suspended from a spacing and supporting ring carried by a standard equipped with a watt meter, a time switch, and a controlling switch whereby current may be supplied to the curling rods and heaters in suiiicient quantity and for a sufficient period cf time to more efficiently form the Marcel wave than hitherto possible.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which may be conveniently used in` the home, which will be formed of a few strong, due rable, and inexpensive parts, and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that Various modiiications may be resorted 'to within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specication,

Figure l is a side elevation with parts in section of an electric Marcel machine constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a cross Sectional View taken on the line 2-2 oi Figure l.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional View of one of the combined curling rods and heaters with the separable plug and socket connector applied thereto.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of one of the hinged sections of the housing clamp looking toward the inside of the section.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional View through the housing clamp.

(Cl. 21S-24) Figure 6 is a side elevation of one of the combined curling rods and heaters with portions broken away.

Figure 'l is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 1I-l of Figure 6.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, the device is shown to comprise a plurality oi flat curling rods, each inn cluding a hollow casing Iii having equally spaced fingers il upon its sides, the fingers upon one side being staggered with relation to those on the opposite side. The fingers I2 at the top and bottom of one side of the curling rod are bent to form hooks which extend toward the upper and lower straight fingers respectively. The lower end of the curling rod terminates in a ball i3 and the upper end oi the curling rod terminates in a cylindrical neck lil which is exteriorly threaded to receive the internally threaded boss l5 of a separable electrical connector comprising a cap member i5 to which the boss is internally connected and a receptacle member il having internal tubular contacts I8 which receive the contact prongs I9 of the cap member.

Within the longitudinal bore of the curling rod a heating coil 2@ is disposed, the coil being suiw icient in length to extend from the cap l nearly to the ball I 3 and having its ends electrically connected to the prongs I9 of the cap.

A housing clamp is provided for each of the flat curling rods, and as best shown in Figures 4 and 5 the clamp comprises two mating shells 2i and 22 which are lined with felt 23 or other similar material and are hingedly connected together by respective hinge eyes 24 through which a pivot pin 25 is passed.

The shells are equipped respectively with diverging grips 26 and 2l which permit the shells to be opened wide enough apart to receive between them the associated iiat curling rod. A spring 28 is seated upon the pivot pin 25 and normally holds the shells closed to t snugly upon the associated curling rod.

In practice the lock of hair to be marcelled is wound upon the curling rod between ngers II starting at the bottom hook I2 and terminating under the top hook i2 which hooks serve to secure the curl upon the curling rod. The housing clamp may now be applied to the curling rod to confine the curl in position and retain the heat to set the curl.

It will be noted that the lingers I I are rounded at the peaks and in the Valleys so that the hair will not be broken and it will be noted furtherioY more that the heating coil 20 extends throughout the entire length of the curling rod so that all of the ngers will be uniformly heated to set the curl in hair in the usual manner.

The electric cords 29 of the receptacles I1 are suspended from a ring 30 which is provided with spider arms 3i that radiate from an internally threaded socket member 32.

A hollow standard 33 supports the ring 3l), the standard being provided with a base 34 and being provided at the top with a laterally directed arm 35 which is terminally bent downward, as shown at 36 and threaded to receive the socket member 32. The electric conductor cord 3l which supplies the various cords 29 of the heaters is trained through the bore of the standard and emerges from the base 34 where it is terminally equipped with a plug cap 38 which may be pluggedfinto any convenient lamp socket, floor or wall outlet.

A key switch 39 of conventional type is mounted on the standard and is electrically connected to the cord 31 and below the switch a conventional Watt meter 4B is mounted on the standard and is electrically connecte-d to the cord. Below the watt meter a conventional time switch M is mounted on the standard and is electrically connected to the cord. The time switch may be used to automatically cut off the current at the end of a predetermined time period, such as, for example, fteen minutes. The watt meter registers the amount of current used and in practice it has been found that when watts have been registered the marcelling operation has been most eiectively performed. The key switch may be used to cut off or connect the heaters with the house current as will be understood.

In operation locks of hair are wound upon the curling rods and the housing clamps are then applied to the curling rods. Each cap member i6 is then plugged into its associated receptacle member l1 on the ring 30. The time switch 4l may now be set and the key switch 39 may thereupon be closed. After fteen or twenty minutes lapse of time, the time switch will automatically cut off the current and the watt meter should thereupon register approximately 180 Watts or, for example, fifteen watts for each of the twelve combined curling rods and heaters. The cap members I6 may now be disconnected from the receptacle members l1 and the housing clamps 212 may be removed to permit of the Marcel curls being unwound from the curling rods.

From the abo-ve description it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood without further explanation.

What is claimed is:

In an electric Marcel machine, a at hollow curling rod having a ball at one end and having a threaded straight shank at the opposite end, a separable plug connector on the threaded end of the rod, a heating coil extending longitudinally through the rod from the plug connector to the ball, said rod having a plurality of hollow fingers disposed on opposite sides thereof, the hollow interior of each finger communicating with the hollow interior of the rod, the fingers on one side being staggered with respect to the ngers on other side, the end fingers on one side of the rod being curved to provide hooks for securing to the rod a lock oi hair wound upon the. rod between the iingers, and a removable housing adapted to be clamp-ed upon the rod to set the lock of hair during the heating operation.

BERTHA ENGELE. 

